My website // ellenoakley.com

After many years of having my work scattered over separate corners of the internet, I've finally created a place where it can all be together. Here it is!

The Regency Bonnet

{One of my favourite quotes, written by Jane Austen in one of her letters.}

Back in September 2014, I took part in the costume promenade at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, and I made myself an outfit. Accessories included! I'll get round to doing a post for the outfit itself (I will I will I will) but let's start from the top. The bonnet.

This bonnet actually has a little bit of a history. There's a photo (which I will post if I can find!) of me with my sister when we were young, wearing two rather dashing hats our gran had given us to play with. We adorned them with straws (because, what else?) and ribbons, and strutted about the garden. One of them ended up sticking around in our dressing up box for many years. When I was looking for a hat I could cut up to make a bonnet, I came across it, all battered and bruised, and figured I didn't have much to lose since it was probably going to get thrown out anyway.

I gave it a bit of a steam with the iron, watched numerous bonnet making tutorials on youtube, and then took the plunge and picked up the scissors. Since I wanted it to be mouldable, I stitched wire into some bias binding, and used that to trim the edge of the brim. Then came the fun bit.

Ribbons and feathers and bows, oh my!

I got some cheap feathers from the local craft shop, curled them using various techniques from this American Duchess post, and got to stitching.

I know the silhouette is probably more late Regency/early Victorian, with the wide, stand-up-sort-of-brim, but worn with the right hair, I think I can get away with it.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out, and am actually rather fond of it. If you've any questions about any element, just leave a comment!

Hello, again.

Hello, world. As per usual, it's been a little while since I've updated this blog, and there's only so many times I can say 'life happened', or provide you with various different excuses, but that's just the way it is.

To be perfectly honest, lately I haven't been doing many things that would be worthy of a blog post. Or that I would deem worthy, anyway, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.
I feel as if I've almost taken the last year off where sewing is concerned, and aside from the odd little project and the things I make for Polesden Lacey, I just haven't sewn very much. Don't get me wrong, I still love sewing, but only really when I take the time to sit down and do some, and that's unfortunately become a rare occurrence.

A lot has changed over the past year or so, and one such thing is me. My interests have broadened, and so I'm not as intently focused on each individual thing as I used to be, but that's ok. That's just me growing up.

So this was just a little note to say hello, let you know I'm still in existence, and that I intend to keep up with posting - maybe not about things I've made, but I'll certainly find something - and we'll wait and see what happens!

Also, if you fancied following me on Instagram, that's one of the only things I actually keep up to date // @ellenoaktree

The first corset || Repost

I wrote this post a (long) while back, and for some reason, blogger decided to delete it. I've just discovered it saved somewhere, and so I thought I'd repost it, for documentation purposes at the very least. Oh, how the temptations to make changes to this post as I was typing it up were strong, but I did manage to stop myself!

///

Once a week, I have the privilege to sit and sew away, making Edwardian costumes at a National Trust property, Polesden Lacey. My last completed project, was a corset.

There's just something about corsets I've always had a particular interest for. The look, the feel, the construction, the purpose. How undergarments really were the foundation to clothing throughout history, changing the silhouette to cater to the day's trends.

As this was my first corset, it's made from calico; a cheap fabric, but sturdy enough to wear. I also ended up trimming it with some nice grosgrain ribbon, just to add a little something and to satisfy my 'pretty things' needs. It's boned with both spiral (flexi) steel and rigid steel. Spiral steel in the seams where I need a bit of movement, as it is flexible in more than one direction, and a rigid steel in the side/back seams, to provide structure.

I used the Past Patterns #106: 1901-1908 "Straight-Fronted" Edwardian Corset pattern, and put boning on the seams.

Inside view: here you can see the ribbon I used for finishing.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, actually. Apparently it's very neat for a first one, but I do take a lot of pleasure in making things neat!

Inside view of the bust dart, and busk.

Front view.

Better view of the inside, and lacing.

Now, to make the rest of the outfit!

Edwardian inspiration, from 1900.

There is a book that has been lying atop a desk in our sewing room at Polesden Lacey, wrapped in a plastic bag with a note saying that it was from the year 1900, and donated by somebody.

I only thought to have a closer look at it last week, and I ended up sitting there for ages, carefully turning the tattered pages and taking a bunch of photos! I thought I'd share some with you.

Unfortunately the front cover is missing and the spine is quite damaged, so I don't know what the title of the book is, but it's full of all sorts of charming Edwardian things. It must have been a magazine of sorts.

There's short stories, advice on dressmaking, patterns, hair tutorials, portraits, and fashion illustrations. Oh, and advertisements for items every elegant Edwardian lady would require.

Thoughts on authenticity.

When I made my first historical garment, the medieval dress, back in 2012, I wasn't particularly fussed about authenticity. All I wanted was a dress with long, billowing sleeves, lots of lacing, and something that could have belonged in The Hobbit, or Robin Hood. In other words, a dress I'd wanted since I was little. I'd maybe put a little bit of research into what other people had done, but I really wasn't fussed. You only need look closely at the dress to spot the machined hem, the millions of machined button holes, and the bust darts!

I think that's because I was coming from more of a film/tv costume background. You see, I love films. Every element. The writing, the soundtrack, the cinematography. Then of course, there's the costumes. I grew up watching a lot of period dramas, and old movie musicals, and the things that would stay with me would often be the costumes. I always assumed that was the area I'd go into when I decided I wanted to pursue costume design as a career.

It was only once I really got into historical costuming that my intentions completely changed. I started looking at blogs, reading books, soaking up the silhouettes and looking a great deal into the undergarments of the times. I started striving for authenticity, still using modern patterns (as I couldn't afford the historical ones) but altering them to achieve the desired cut.

The problem I found with aiming for this level of authenticity, is that it was almost taking the joy out of putting myself into these garments I was creating. I would become obsessed with things like Edwardian fastenings and Regency trimmings, getting a little frustrated if there wasn't a blog post with the answer to the obscure question I was asking. I'd get a little lost, and talk myself into thinking that a certain fashion plate was the only thing people of that class would wear in that particular year.

But fashion plates were more or less the high end fashion magazines of their time, providing a look that people wouldn't often recreate for themselves, preferring to perhaps alter an existing gown to keep up with the latest styles. And I like to think that way, too.

When I was doing a bit of work experience at a fashion auction house in London at the start of the year, I came in contact with some antique gowns. They were mostly from about 1820-1870, and I tell you, childhood dreams came true! I was handling these beautiful Victorian gowns, and was able to take a close look at the construction work, as well as all the fastenings, and hidden pockets. It was actually quite an eye opener. I noticed that, so long as the dress looked correct once it was on, anything goes by way of how you actually get to that point. Things such as Edwardian collars wrapping all the way around the neck, and opening the front of the garment up in a zig zag like fashion, as the hooks and eyes were following the design. Evening gowns were more often than not simply thrown together, as you wouldn't be caught dead in the same dress twice in a row. People were creative. And it made me an awful lot more relaxed when it came to making my own historical garments.

I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts, as I haven't really done a post of this sort before.

A second spencer, finished.

As I was glancing over some previous blog posts, I realised that I never actually got round to posting photos of my finished spencer jacket. (Then of course, there's the entire Regency outfit that goes with it, but we'll save that for another time!)

You can read the work in progress post here, and I'll talk a little more about it as we go along, but without further ado...

Ta daaaa. It isn't based after an existing garment, nor a particular style from the Regency era. I was however aiming for an 1810 silhouette, with the design of, perhaps, more of an early 1800s jacket.

The fabric is a sort of wool/linen mix, not too heavy, but with a bit of body to it. It's actually quite ideal for a the simple, yet tailored spencer jacket I was looking to make. And it was given to me by a friend, and was therefore free! Bonus.

The jacket is fully lined with a lilac lining, excluding the collar, which is lined with a navy velvet to match the trim.

It was ridiculously difficult to get it to hang straight when on a hanger, and so I'm afraid I can only offer you a slightly wrinkled view of the back, but here you can see the classic Regency diamond cut, and the gathering of the sleeves. It also gives you a little glimpse at the inside, including the lining, facing, and fastenings.

The front closes with three hooks and eyes. I was originally going to have it fasten with buttons, but, as is so often the way, I ran out of time. This means that the jacket doesn't fit as snug as I had intended, but I don't think it turned out too badly!

It's trimmed with navy blue velvet ribbon in a somewhat military style across the front.

...and on the cuff, too.

Here, you can see how the jacket looks when being worn. Hobbes grew curious as I was taking the photos.

And, last but not least, when it's being worn by me, along with the rest of my Regency attire. 

More of that to come!